No draft, no problem.
After making it through his third and final year of eligibility without hearing his name called at this past weekend’s NHL Entry Draft, Charlotte native Bryan Moore received an invite to attend New York Rangers prospect camp this week. In doing so, he becomes the first local hockey player to participate in organized activities with an NHL team.
Moore, 20, is one of 37 players scheduled to attend the camp, which starts today and ends Friday, July 4. That group, which will skate at the Madison Square Garden Training Center in New York, also includes many of the Rangers' top prospects drafted this year and in previous years.
The invite is no precursor to a professional contract or a continued affiliation with the Rangers, but it’s possible that a successful tryout could lead him down that path. Sergey Tolchinsky, his linemate with the Ontario Hockey League’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds last season, earned an NHL contract with Carolina after attending camps with the Rangers and Hurricanes as an undrafted invite last year.
A former Jr. Checker and Charlotte Checkers stick boy originally from Matthews, Moore posted career highs of 61 points (25g, 36a) and 100 penalty minutes with Sault Ste. Marie and Sarnia last season. He appeared on the NHL Central Scouting Services’ list of top North American Skaters (No. 195) heading into this year’s draft.
A profile on Moore conducted prior to this year’s draft can be found here.
